Preface
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are a natural consequence of the use and distribution of electricity. They consist of:
- Electric fields which are related to voltage level and may be shielded with common conductive materials
- Magnetic fields that are produced by electric currents. These fields can pass through earth, concrete, and most building materials, and are relatively expensive to shield
At extremely low frequencies (30 – 400 Hz), the electric and magnetic fields are independent of each other. Since the magnetic field is much more difficult to manage, it is the dominant cause for concern, with respect to interference and health.
Interference
- Much electronic and electrical equipment is sensitive to elevated levels of EMF. Examples of such equipment include computer systems and networks, sensitive electronic measurement instruments, data-communication equipment, and medical devices. With increasingly sensitive technologies being developed today, even relatively low levels of magnetic fields may be sufficient to cause equipment disruptions
Health effects
- There is an ongoing debate in the scientific community on the possible link between EMF and health risks. This controversy resembles, in many ways, the past debate about the connection between smoking and cancer
- There is an increasing quantity of research regarding the link between the exposure to EMF and human health. Such research focuses primarily on a number of diseases, including childhood leukemia, adult brain cancer, melanoma, breast cancer, depression, suicide, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and miscarriage
The invention
Made by Prof. M. Erlitzki (Electrical Engineering Department, Technion, Israel) and Prof. Y. Grach (Research Laboratories, Israel Electric Corporation) joined forces to explore technical solutions. Their research led to the development of ELMF cables – a relatively simple and economic method to minimize the magnetic fields in the vicinity of cables and wires carrying electric current as well as lowering cable self- and mutual-inductance.
During recent year the company implemented the basic ideas in Power Distribution Cabinets design and manufacturing and by that completed a comprehensive solution for delivery and distribution of electricity reducing the EMF around it.
It is of a special importance to notice that this is probably the only technology that deals with EMF cause rather than protecting against it.